Several powerhouse operations showed up to Southern National Motorsports Park on Saturday afternoon looking to build momentum in the zMAX CARS Pro Late Model Tour season-opener.
Kyle Campbell’s small, family-owned operation upstaged them all in the Egholm 100. The Conover, North Carolina native successfully bided his time in lapped traffic during the second half of the PLM Tour feature before making the race-winning pass on Kris Wright, who was driving for Donnie Wilson Motorsports.
An emotional Campbell picked up his maiden PLM Tour victory in his 12th start with the series. Prior to the Egholm 100, Campbell’s best finish was a second that he obtained at Wake County Speedway last summer.
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Determination pays off for Kyle Campbell
Less than a year ago, Kyle Campbell had no idea if he would be able to continue his racing career.
A bad crash at Hickory Motor Speedway left Campbell and his small team with a destroyed car and minimal resources to fix it. Through hard work and perseverance, Campbell returned to the CARS PLM Tour more confident than ever by putting together his most efficient drive to date.
“This car was bad fast,” Campbell said. “I’ve never driven a piece that good. I don’t know what to think right now.”
Campbell’s Pro Late Model, which he obtained from the Kvapil family, delivered him a career-best starting position of fourth at Southern National Motorsports Park. He successfully maintained solid track position all afternoon and set a strong pace after overtaking Wright.
A late-race caution meant that Campbell would have to contend with Late Model Stock standout Kaden Honeycutt on the outside lane. Honeycutt got a great jump to immediately pull out in front, but it took Campbell less than a lap before he got back around with a flawless bump and run.
Remembering the adversity he dealt with in 2023, the last thing Campbell wanted was to deliberately tear up Honeycutt’s car while trying to re-take the lead. Campbell understands how strenuous is to be competitive in racing, which is why crossing the finish line first against stellar competition was such a cathartic moment.
“Family means a lot,” Campbell said. “We missed practice because [my father] was over doing tires and I was trying to set up the car. It was us two and we’re out here beating million-dollar teams. It feels so good.”
Jimmy Renfrew runs out of time, comes home second
As the Egholm 100 winded down, Jimmy Renfrew could see Kyle Campbell get closer in his windshield.
The northeastern short track veteran ultimately ran out of laps to mount a significant charge on Campbell for the win. Despite this, Renfrew considered the Egholm 100 to be a solid first outing on what he believes will be a busy but productive rookie year in the CARS PLM Tour.
“About 90 percent of these tracks I’ve never seen before,” Renfrew said. “To come down here and run [the PLM Tour] full-time is going to be a challenge, but if we keep having runs like that, we’re going to get more than one victory.”
Fresh off a stellar World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing run at New Smyrna Speedway that saw him finish third in the Pro Late Model point standings, Renfrew had high expectations ahead of the 2024 PLM Tour campaign.
The Egholm 100 reminded Renfrew of the difficulties with establishing consistency. After starting outside the Top 10, Renfrew had to gradually fight his way through several other strong cars throughout the 100-lap feature until he finally reached the second position with a handful of laps remaining.
Renfrew expects his qualifying speed to improve as the year progresses, especially with the support he is receiving from Donnie Wilson Motorsports. Finding his way to victory lane is something Renfrew believes will be much harder to come by with the competitive depth prevalent in the PLM Tour.
“It’s a lot to come down here being all the way from New Hampshire,” Renfrew said. “This tour is going to take off I think. 28 cars were here at Southern National Motorsports Park and they put on a great event at a great facility. I hope there are this many cars at every race this year.”
Kaden Honeycutt rebounds from early damage to finish third
In his first two starts with the CARS PLM Tour, Kaden Honeycutt has yet to record a finish outside the Top 3.
Had he not sustained early damage to the front of his car while battling polesitter Tyler Tanner for the lead, Honeycutt is confident he could have obtained his second consecutive PLM Tour victory. Although he still obtained a strong run, Honeycutt could not help but ponder what might have happened without the contact.
“We struggled with drive off after the incident going into Turn 3,” Honeycutt said. “It knocked the tow in pretty good and took the wheel out of my hand at 180 degrees. I felt like we had a good car to start. I was trying to take control there and it didn’t work out.”
Honeycutt had an opportunity to take the lead early after obtaining a strong run on Tanner down the backstretch. As Honeycutt dove to the inside, he and Tanner collided, but both drivers were able to save their cars and continue, albeit with damage.
Not once did Honeycutt think his race was over after the contact, but he knew the task of winning would be much harder with his car not at 100 percent. By utilizing patience, Honeycutt managed to briefly take the lead, yet he could not hold off the superior pace of Campbell on the last restart.
The Egholm 100 did translate into a solid points outing for Honeycutt as he prepares to chase a PLM Tour championship with Mavrick Page Motorsports. Starting 2024 with a victory would have been preferable for Honeycutt, but he expects the wins to start accumulating sooner rather than later.
“It sucked to lose this one for sure,” Honeycutt said. “[Campbell] was better than us. He took care of the car, and I didn’t really do a good job at it.”
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The zMAX CARS Pro Late Model Tour gets a whole month off before their next event at Hickory Motor Speedway on April 6. The zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour opens their 2024 campaign by wrapping up Speed Week at Southern National Motorsports Park next Saturday. Both races will be streamed live on FloRacing.
For more information on the zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Tour and the zMAX CARS Pro Late Model Tour, visit www.carsracingtour.com. Be sure to stay active and social with the tour by liking “CARS Tour” on Facebook, following @CARSTour on X (formerly known as Twitter) and scrolling through photos on Instagram cars_tour.
Additional series information can be obtained by calling the CARS Tour series office, located in Mooresville, NC, at 704-662-9212.
PLM Results:
- 03 Kyle Campbell
- 00 Jimmy Renfrew
- 51 Kaden Honeycutt
- 6 Tristan McKee
- 35 Caden Kvapil
- 29 Spencer Davis
- 71 Katie Hettinger
- 15 Aiden King
- 20 Kris Wright
- 15H Mike Hopkins
- 96 T.J. DeCaire
- 39 Max Cookson
- 14 Chase Pinsonneault
- 43 Nick Loden
- 7 Justin Crider
- 97 Dylan Garner
- 55 Holden Haddock
- 17 Hudson Bulger
- 24 Jake Bollman -1
- 77 Logan Jones -1
- 6B Brandon Lopez -3
- 19 Jessica Cann -4
- 7T Tyler Church – OUT
- 43H Joshua Horniman -7
- 9 Ashton Higgins – OUT
- 65 Tyler Tanner – OUT
- 4 Adam Murray – OUT
- 49 Jeff Batten – OUT
